The Mocking of Armok: The Tales of Ruby
by MDSDude
Summary: In the Ageless Realm, one dwarf finally becomes an adventurer. She hoped for an adventure of whimsy, and wonder like in her books of legends. Unfortunately, fate had a different idea in mind for her. This story is loosely based off a play through of the masterwork mod's adventurer mode that used a friend's, Smallartist123, character named Ruby. Being DF, this story is rated M.
1. Chapter 1: The Vampire Queen

Mockings of Armok: Tales of Ruby Sedilbobburkeshan

A Dwarf Fortress Story

Chapter 1:

The Vampire Queen of Splatterinns

Since the beginning of time, worlds have been created, destroyed, and reforged on the forge of creation. These were formed and fitted to the liking of Armok, the god of blood. The creation of these worlds were not of a benevolent nature, or a view of land forms as art. It is to drink from his goblet filled with the blood of the conflict these worlds spark until its age of emptiness dawns.

To ensure these conflicts, he created three main races to constantly fight over the land. They are known best as the imperialistic men of hamlets, the raging dwarves of fortresses, and the savage elves of forests. Wether it be for land, resources, or a disagreement, no matter how small, bloodshed was a guarantee in his worlds. However, in the unlikely event that there is peace in the world he also created the chaotic kobolds, and the ruthless goblins to start some trouble in those dry spells.

However, of all the worlds he had made in his cosmic workshop of surrounding galactic shelves, one little world was different than the others. Much of the world's conflict actually shifted towards one dwarf. A small, timid, dwarf of red fiery hair, who looked more suited as a nurturing mother, caused more conflict than any other being of other worlds Armok had made.

This is the story of Sarah Sedilbobburkeshan, or better known by her nickname, Ruby. The flame of kindness, the slayer of vampire queens, the fire that engulfed Ashmon Shoner, the cursed, the slaughter of nightmares, and the fallen hero of the realm. But, I am getting too far a head of myself, lets start from the beginning.

***

In the city of Ashmon Shoner, the morning's sun had just begun to dawn. Much like the dawn of an adventure, the energy of the sun beamed on the singled floored wooden huts that populated the city. The shadow's lay stretched out at the sight of the light, keeping the radiant from reaching parts of the streets to hide those not up to the task.

This was perfect to describe to the two leather clad soon to be adventurers, making their way to the center of the hamlet. One being a dwarf of red hair tied back into a pony tail resembling a lit candlelight. The other a taller human female with long blonde hair that danced in the cool morning breeze was welding the sword on her shoulder as she walked.

The human was looking around rather confused at the surrounding area they tread. They had been walking for some time after the two had met in a pub, and it seemed as if they had being walking in circles.

"Uh, Ruby?" She asked the dwarf, "you do know where you're going, right?"

Ruby pulled at the scarf that wrapped snugly around her neck as she gave her new friend an awkward laugh. "Heh, well... not quite."

"What do you mean not quite?" The human said flabbergasted, "I thought you lived around here?"

"I never needed to go to Splatterinns before," Ruby admitted as she began to look around at the similar looking buildings.

The human sighed, "did you ever get out of that shop of yours?"

Ruby looked up in a pondering thought at the puffy clouds that sauntered by them. "Hhmmmm. Not really, Lega, no. My hobby always kept me busy I guess. There wasn't much need to."

"Okay." Lega said as she rolled her eyes as you would as someone doing a job completely wrong. "We're looking for a keep right?"

Ruby nodded, "Luxurious Bunnies."

"That's the name?" She asked in bewilderment before continuing, "anyways, there's no doubt it has a few stories to it. So, we could see it from on top a hill."

The two stumbled around the street, trying to find a vantage point from the view of walls of buildings that where split up by streets and alleys. They'd probably have to go to the edge of the city to find one. The city it self was relatively flat surrounded by hillsides. So, they picked a direction, and set off for whatever hill they might come across.

The travel time was quite long to the first hill the saw. You know how it is, you pick a direction and end up taking the longest way possible to your destination, and buildings that look all the same don't help your situation. However, they eventually did make it to a tall hillside that bristles in the wind no different than fur on a bunny. A green fuzzy bunny.

Looking from the hill, the saw a tall stone building surrounded by shorter towers. It looked like a slabs protruding from the ground in a sea of brown wood huts.

Lega realized that something was nagging at her as she looked at it. It started at the bar, but it had been building in her since she started the trip with ruby.

"Well there it is..." A short pause as she thought about her question. "Um, ruby?"

"Hmm?" Ruby responded, looking down at the human from her higher ground.

"What do you plan to do when we find this creature in the keep?"

"Well..." Ruby pondered this for a sec as she looked up at the sky again. "I thought just go straight through the heart."

"Straight for the heart?"

"Yeah! That's how the heroes fight them in my books." Ruby explained as she reached into her napsack an pulled a book entitled, 101 encounters with night creatures, and put it to her chest like a fan at an autograph signing.

"And if they are protecting their heart?"

Ruby's confident expression took a nose dive. "Uhhhh."

Lega just shook her head with a small smile, "gods, you really are new to this."

"I-I still know my way around a blade in the thick of combat!" Ruby stammered as she pouted at the teases of her new companion.

Lega shrugged. "Hey, it's just telling when you got a skilled person like myself to tag along when your plan is just swing and pray her teeth don't sink past that scarf of yours."

"H-hey!" Ruby held the scarf as a child would her prized blanket. "Don't even joke about that!"

"Look I still got your back if things go south. Then we'll see if you still feel like going on this adventure of glory and heroism."

Ruby looked up at her friend walking off towards the keep. She moved her gaze from her scarf to her hand made sword. She'd prove herself to Lega if it was the last thing she did. Which it might be, she thought for a second. She shook her head to kick the thought out and chased after her companion.

Neither of them knew it, but Ruby would prove herself. Lega will come to respect her, and then fear her before the end of their partnership.

-

Getting into the Splatterinns' Keep was surprisingly easy. For the imposing height and isolating walls, the guards were rather willing to let two armed mercenaries into the abode of their rulers. They boredly looked up and down at our heroes and then let them through the walls into the garden. Flower beds and rose bushes filled the lawns with diversity of color that the grounds desperately need from becoming too depressing.

"I always thought security in these places were stricter than this", Ruby noted as she looked around.

"Oh they are," Lega assured her dwarven friend as she pointed to a crossbowman on one of the towers. "Some kingdoms give out loans for merchants and adventurers looking for profit so they let them in. The visitors know it's not wise to do anything funny."

Ruby looked to the guard to the soldier Lega was pointing to. He was in full body armor that encased him in what looked to be iron. The man looked back at her and pointed from his eye to her with a snarl.

Ruby gulped, trying to swallow her fear from ending up on the keep's grounds. They were already as unwelcoming as the walls, they didn't need a reason to go full hostile. She wasn't an outlaw, but she never experience such suspecting guards. She only knew the ones by her shop that always seemed like outstanding gentlemen. Except when they're drunk, that's when the broom comes out.

The doors from the garden into the keep opens into a throne room spanning several feet. A red carpet flowed down the center to the room. Pillars in symmetrical rows covered both sides with shimmering torches leading to the throne of dwarven craft work grade stone.

Ruby's eyes shot out and sparkled with unconstrained wonderment at the sight of the hall. Being a common merchant, she had only heard of these places of such high luxury by passing adventurer gossip, and in her books.

Small crowds of guards and nobles were sprinkled about the hall like food seasoning. Some were eyeing the two with expectant glares as if they were a person that didn't get invited to a high class party, but came anyways. Others ignored them, and went about their business of politics, and he-said-she-said of other noble family drama.

One woman nicely dressed in a long blue dress with details similar to vines curling around sauntered over to the new adventurers with a smile. "Hello! Hello! To who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Well, I-" Ruby began to respond before finding herself on her knees staring at the feet of the finely dressed noble with great force holding her down. "EEP!?"

Lega quickly took a bow, and was in the middle of forcing Ruby to do the same as if their lives depended on it. She whispered quickly into Ruby's ear, "Do you not know of manners from those books of fantasy?! Are you not aware this is your queen?!"

"O-oh..." Ruby barley squeaked out, M-Majesty... I-I'm terribly sorry I didn't recognize you. Y-you look stunning!"

"Calm down subjects," The queen raised her hand in a signal to stop. "I appreciate the formalities, but I just wish for your names."

"Lega Compestirs, Imperial Swordwoman." She said still kneeling at the ground without much change in her position.

"Sarah Sedilbobburkeshan, Dwarven Black smith," Ruby told her queen. "But uh... you can call me Ruby."

"A Blacksmith?' The queen asked looking up and down at the redheaded dwarf, "You look more ready for battle than metalworking."

"I guess I do. " Ruby stood up to explain this with her knees still quaking a bit, "w-well I've always heard these tales of high adventure from those that visited my shop, and I thought I could give it a try..."

"Hmm, well best of luck to you, Ruby." The queen bowed her head. "But, I suppose you come here for a greater purpose than your declaration of climbing up the social ladder?"

"Yes M'Lady," Ruby told her before collecting her thoughts. "M'lady... There is a creature of the night in these walls."

The guards in the room shot up when the words "creature of the night" was spoken. They all looked at Ruby as if she used improper table manners at a royal banquette. An air of cold silence filled the room.

"Oh, I've heard of her" The Queen carefully admitted. "How much more do you know?"

"She's a vampire, killed sixty two," Ruby put a hand to her chin as she remembered what the old man had told her in list form. "Oh! And her name is Ite... something."

The Queen slowly began to laugh at the two. It started no less than a tiny hushed titter and roared into something manic. It could only be described as a laugh of someone that would be considered gone or lost from the realm of our perspective.

Ruby finally got hit with the atmosphere of the room as the cold air did, and it shivered down her short stubby. The laugh was the only sound in the room that could be heard. Something was wrong. She looked over at the guards with their hands near their weapons as if to draw them. Something was VERY wrong with this scene.

Finally the Queen gave a calm sigh. "Funny, that's my name."

Ruby started to bring hands to her face in a defensive pose to begin to beg to the noble ruler. "M-m lady I didn't-."

"It's also funny" She continued as her eye flashed from a sky light blue to blood red. "Because I am that vampire, accuser."

"WHAT!?" Lega jolted up in shock.

"C-come again?" Ruby asked trembling a bit as if she missed an important part of the conversation, and was caught for not paying attention.

She didn't miss a word.

Wind picked up as the Queen started to transform into one of the creatures the Slaves of Armok fear. A vampire. Her teeth extended and sharpened like white spears being mounted. Her nails began to shape into raven talons. Her hair danced in the wind as it went from a blonde to coal black.

"I am Ite Conjurerroaring!" Her voiced boomed in the hall. Will you succeed where others have failed or suffer the same fate that has befallen so many?'

Ruby stood there in daze as this information seeped into her, currently troubleshooting, brain. Around her, guards readied their weapons as they began to get into defensive positions, and nobles started to flee likes scurrying ants in terror of their Queen. Lega was beside her, drawing her own weapon.

Though all Ruby could do at the moment was just ask in the chaos around her, "Excuse me? W-what?"

One of the guard converging on Ite started shouting at the others in a tone similar to an alert code of some kind. "We have a Thirty-one! A Thirty-one! The bat is out! I repeat the bat is- GURRLLK!"

The vocal cord of the now dead guard was cut of by the fangs of Ite, giving the guard his last hicky before he died. With a few spastic movements the guard went limp. The vampire dropped him to the floor with only dime sized drops of blood leading to the bite mark from the floor.

The Guards, and even Lega looked away in disgust. Ite casually turned to them, and wiped the blood from her lips, licking what she could. Her smile was that of satisfaction. She waited a long time for that.

The guards began to charge at the vampire, waving their swords around and yelling in the glory of this or that. They were trying to surround the beast as best they could as they lunged attacks at them. A sword slash here, a pike stab there. Ite retaliated and clawed back at them, ripping at some of their faces, limbs or what ever else the claws latched onto. It was like a cat tearing at a rat.

Lega raised her own sword up. "Come on Ruby, just like in the stories right?... Ruby?"

Ruby was still their in her trance of confusion and fear as she stared at the body now. She had learned much from the adventurers, such as how to fight, and the monsters they slayed. Nothing really prepared her for a vampire jumping a guy, and sucking him dry. What the hell am I doing? Her thoughts circled at that question. She hasn't even fought a rat never mind a vampire! Was she insane for doing this in the first place?

Meanwhile, Lega was shaking ruby a bit like a present in a box hoping her consciousness would fall back to reality. No response came from her, just that blank trembling fearful stare.

A scream of an other guard was heard as he was thrown in the direction of Lega and Ruby. She quickly dodged rolled out of the way of the guard that hit the ground behind her, and she faced Ite. She went into a battle stance similar to that of a military trained unit, and held her sword in two hands. The guard was now knocked to the floor unconscious as he slid into the wall.

"Come!" Ite told them as she fended off another guard. "Face me! Or be like your friend, and just let herself be drained."

Lega held her stance as she called to Ruby, "RUBY! Come on, I need you Dwarf!"

Ite dashed toward Lega as if she was the embodiment of smoke moving through the air. Lega quickly slashed at the blur with her sword, and a loud CLING sound was made as it clashed with the harpy claws. The struggle began as each pushed at each other with their weapons.

"Huh?!" Ruby shook her head and looked towards the battle.

Lega was holding ground, but the strength of the vampire was making that ground move less, and less away from her center of gravity. Before she could try anything more, Ite headbutted her sending her back. Lega's body stumbled backward toward a wall, barley supporting herself on it with her back slumping on the stone.

Ite bared her teeth as grabbed the fallen human with one hand. "I expected a bit more from a Swordswoman."

Ruby rush towards the vampire with her sword now in hand. Maybe it was the sight of death, or maybe it was the adrenaline pumping in her as a flight or flight response, but she's not going to let her companion die. Ruby slashed at her left forearm with the short sword. Ite screamed in pain as the sword embedded itself past the bone that forced her to loosen her grip on the human. Blood leaked out from the wound with the odd squirt from the pump.

"AHHH! How dare you little cobbler!" Ite yelled as she tried to remove the sword. "You're going to be begging for death when I'm done."

Ruby quickly withdrew the blade from the wound, making the blood pump out even more violently like a disturbed magma lake. She backed away in a defensive stance as the vampire began to flail her arms around attempting to claw at Ruby. She slashed back at the hands with her sword trying to keep them away with each swinging hook of a claw.

Lega was just getting her bearings after being dropped from her near demise. She took a deep breath as she watched Ruby and Ite fight to sword and claw. Ite was actually getting bloodied from the odd slash hitting things other than the claws.

WITING! SHING! PING! Went the sword as deflected claws of Ite. All were quick session motions like a speed of a cheetah. Ruby just keeping up enough to keep them from making a slash from being fatal. With each swing, the blood of the vampire sprayed out like a broken pipe torn at the side. If it wasn't hitting the ground in 5 feet intervals it was getting on Ruby. On her armor, on her face, even on her lovely scarf.

"Enough!" The vampire commanded as she lifted her hand to a powerful windup strike.

Ruby closed her eyes tight, and slashed wildly in the dark. Something was hit, something nearly as hard as the forearm to cut through, and as many bones as it did too. She continued to tear through it until it was nothing, but air. This was all well the vampire was screaming in pain.

Ruby opened her eyes again to find that Ite was now hobbling on one leg. She had removed the entire right shin off with a clean cut. Once again, the blood kept pumping on to the ground. Ruby was less than stellar to see that.

"Shit!" Ite anger bellowed as she tried to stay stable on her one good leg. "I'll get you for that you dwarven rock digger."

Ruby's stomach was begging her to leave the room at the sight of all the blood, "Actually, can we stop? I-I... Bleh... Need a minute."

"I will feed on your blood!"

"How?" Lega remarked as the idea of a struggling vampire crossed her mind in amusement, "you're just going to bleed it out again."

"Oh? Watch me!"

The vampire hopped on her only good leg to jump at Ruby. Trying to prove her point, she tried to latch her teeth on to the dwarf's neck or anything of ruby's for that matter. Instead, she latched on to the wooden floor like a wood pecker as Ruby side stepped away. The blood was now all down the front of Ruby from the fallen vampire, and on her scarf. And the floor. And bit of the wall too.

Ite flailed around on the ground, struggling to get up. One of the last remaining guards ran over with his pike. He preceded to stab at the vampire with the end of his weapon, several times. The vampire queen eventually stopped moving.

"Oh my goodness gracious me..." Ruby whispered, looking away from the end result of the battle as her face turned green.

Lega Looked over at ruby, "What kid? Never seen this much blood before?"

"I thought the warriors were exaggerating!" She whined.

The guard wiped off what blood he could from his face. The blood was sort of all over him from the battle.

He muttered to himself, "whew... I never thought we'd get rid of that blood sucking witch."

"Wait, wait?" Lega spun to the guard. "You knew she was a vampire!?"

The guard shrugged. "Yeah. I mean if I had a copper for every time I heard bloody murder in these halls..."

"And you didn't start a coup despite knowing that?!"

The guard grunted at that comment and pointed to the guard that was calling the alert in the first place. The body was faintly getting paler as the bloody battle raged, and was still somehow the cleanest thing in the room minus its bite wound with the droplets of blood. It was just lying there like a decomposing dried tomato with all it's juice sucked out. The rotting smell of miasma had already started to expand from its reach.

"Fair enough." Lega said embarrassed.

A loud "HUURRRRAH!" could be heard from out side. Lega and the guard looked out the open doors to see ruby hunched over a flowerbed. A flowerbed, that now looked more like a swampy marsh than a nicely trimmed garden. On the second time the sound was heard, it was confirmed she was indeed throwing up on the garden.

"Oh dear." Lega told herself out loud as she ran to her friend to see if she could calm her down.

The guard sighed, "I'll get the mop and bucket."


	2. Chapter 2: The Spider

Ruby was holding her stomach as she leaned against Lega as the two wandered down the street. The townsfolk were huddled in groups, whispering, and pointing at them as they walked by. To them it looked like the two were wounded, but neither of them appeared to be so much as scratched. No the damage was deeper.  
Ruby's stomach turned when ever she so much as thought of where they were coming from. The keep where she witnessed first hand what it was like to spill another's blood. Even if it was in self defense, no man, elf nor dwarf deals with there first death well.  
"So, how are you feeling? "Lega asked the dwarf.  
Ruby made a bleh, and slowly turned her pale face towards the human. Her face was twitching in such a way that nothing would escape her lips. She couldn't even let a word go by without her throat and mouth closing like a sealed trap door. She clearly was still not very good.  
"I see," Lega paused as she continued to support her friend. "You seriously never seen that much blood before?"  
Ruby shook her head and tried to respond, "I- urgh... I thought they were exaggerating."  
"They?"  
"The people that came into the shop, and the books," Ruby answered. "They would go on with stories like 'I just came back from stabbing an elephant, and it was spewing out all sorts of the stuff!' It seemed like a bunch of fish tales to me at the time."  
"Oh, they talk the truth," Lega assured her as they weave between people on the streets. "I don't think anyone believes them until they see it themselves."  
"Hm..." Ruby looked at lega quizzically, "what was your turning point?"  
"Well," Lega began, "used to know this one guy that squared off against a twilight orge. She took whatever hideous claws she had for nails, and slash him right across the..." She stopped when she noticed Ruby's face turning back to pale and shading towards a sickly green. "Er, now might not be the best time."  
"Urg..."  
Ruby's head gave in to a sickly weighted feeling like she did back at the keep. This whole blood thing was so unexpected for her. Even in her book she mostly chalked it up to fiction, like the battles against the horrors of headshoots.  
Lega smiled at the dwarf a bit. "You'll get used to it kid."  
"I don't know about that."  
Silence were among the two for a moment. As it passed, Lega feel the need to comment, "For a dwarf that falls ill at the sight of blood, you sure knew how to handle yourself."  
Ruby's head jolted back up in surprise, "y-you mean that?"  
"Who cut off that leg, again?"  
Ruby, once again, wretched in disgust. However, she still found the will to nod.  
"Exactly, you're damn good kid!"  
"Well, when you trade your goods with adventurers, a discount is very inciting to those that are willing to teach." Ruby put her hand against her face, "Okay, I think I might be able to walk now."  
Lega carefully slid her friend off of her torso and made sure she was stable. Once up, Ruby wobbled a little as she adjust herself to the ground beneath her. Her legs quivered like strands of water falling towards the ground, but she could at least stay on her feet  
"So, you can make it to the river over there?" Lega asked pointing to a stream under a bridge.  
Ruby took a few wobbly steps forward, "Think so."  
"Good!" Lega admitted to her, "For small simple folk of hard labor, you sure pack on the pounds."  
Ruby's face turned redder than was she thought was possible with her rosy cheeks, "H-hey! Give a vampire killer some respect!" She continued to her way to the river a head of her teaser, "I don't know why you tease me like that!"  
Lega found it trouble to contain her smile as her face was in a battle of between out right laughing, and a cocky grin, "because you're so defensive it's comical."  
Ruby sighed. She knew Lega was a bit of a snarker, but that was a low blow.  
The river was calmly lingering down stream as they approached. It was caressing up against the soil, and grass of the shore as if to beckon to the two warriors.  
Ruby knelt down towards the edge, and reached out for the streaming water. She splashed some of it one her face, it hit her face with cool refreshing sensation. It was enough of a punch to help her feel less ill, and heated from early events.  
As she was enjoying the scenery, a hiss began to creep from behind her, slowly rising in pitch in her eardrum. She spun in the direction of whatever it was, only to be met with a slightly fuzzy shape springing towards her with a blur of legs.  
"AAH!" She screamed as she rolled away whatever the legged atrocity was.  
It was a spider about the size of her arm plus its scrawny legs at least a third of its length. It was crimson red with black stripes running down its legs similar to that of a tiger. It was looking straight at Ruby as it prepared to attack again.  
Lega was about a few feet away when the scuffle began, "Whoa look at that thing it's huge!"  
"AAHHHH!" Ruby screamed again as she jumped from the spider as it lunged at her.  
Lega started to chuckle into her hand. "What, you've never seen a drow spider before either?"  
"N-No I have.. But.. but LOOK AT IT!" Ruby point again to the spider. "ITS EVIL!"  
Its legs were twitching towards her as if it was in the mood for a good tussle at a bar. It was still hissing in a raspy tone directed at her as it crawled towards her in a tactical way.  
"Okay," Lega tried to instruct Ruby, "Just remain calm, and back away. If you make any sudden-"  
Just then Ruby made the very sudden movement of grasping her holstered sword. It was a quick reaction like lightning, but her hand still trembled as she wrapped her hands around the sword. This  
prompted the spider to leap at the trembling dwarf again.  
"Oh for Uz Sake!"  
Ruby whipped out her sword, and hit it by the slab of the sword in a flash. The spider flung backwards like it was hit by a masterfully crafted dwarven mace, and landed on its back. The spider twitched its legs while it lied on its back. It tried to get on its feet, but some of the legs were giving way under neither the spider's weight.  
"D-don't even think about getting up!" Ruby demanded the spider in her quivering voice and stance.  
The spider did what it was doing best at the moment. Hissing. Then it did what all spiders are good at, spraying web on its pray. The spider shot out its strands of web from its abdamin directly at Ruby, thus enveloping her and her surrounding in sticky strains of web. With a small, mouse-like squeek, she landed on her back as she tried to keep the webs off her, especially her hair.  
"Ew, ew, ew..." Ruby murmured to her self as she struggled to remove the web from her body.  
Ruby began to cut in to the webs with her weapon in the hopes the sword was mightier than the silk. Luckily, the web were no stronger than a jungle vine against a sword, so getting free movement of the waist up was not an issue. However, she found that some of the web stuck her legs to the ground, making rather hard to to get back up.  
Ruby look back at where the spider was struggling to hold its weight. It had already shimmied it's way over to Ruby's left thigh, and made that audible hissing sound.  
"Ruby." Lega piped up again, "just whatever you do, don't ki-"  
As the spider tried to jump on Ruby for a third time, she stuck her sword out in front of herself. The spider let out something resembling a screech, then was silent. It was now dead, and impaled limply on the sword.  
"You dwarves really have an issue with listening don't you?"  
Ruby looked down at the poor lifeless arachnid before her. The blood of the creature was spilling out as slowly as a warmed molasses. Slowly covering the sword then her gloved hands, she couldn't help, but stare at it.  
And, that's all she could do. She wasn't frozen like during the previous battle, and wasn't ill at it's sight. No, this time the blood seemed to be calling to her, enticing her. She licked her lips as this new feeling swept her body, and the blood encourage her.  
"Ruby..." She heard the blood calling. "Ruuuuuuuuby."  
"RUBY!"  
Ruby shook her head, and snapped back to reality. Looking around, she realized that lega had been shaking her. The villagers were looking at them with angered faces.  
"Uh... Sorry.." she told her companion. I was- EEK!" She screamed as she slid the spider off her sword.  
The crowd let out a fearsome cry as the limp spider was shoved to the ground. They were yelling and shouting at her. Some of them were rasing their pitchforks, others their swords, and other weapons.  
"How could you do that?!" One male human shouted.  
"W-wait... W-what?" Ruby looked back at the spider, "It was just a spider."  
Lega tapped Ruby's shoulder as the crowd got more enraged. "Ruby, these spiders are part of their livelyhoods. They're for making clothing."  
"Oh," Ruby said as she turned to the crowd, "I'm sorry townsfolk. I was just sitting here and..."  
"We don't care about that!" Another shouted. "We want Justice for this crime on our economic well being."  
Ruby rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, "I'm sure I can more than pay for the fine, I have some goods back at my..."  
"We don't want your metal!". A male in iron plated armor engraved with the seal of the city, an inn with what appeared to be ooze dripping from the windows, broke through the crowd to march up to the two. "The only payment for such a crime," He paused for dramatic effect, "is blood."  
"Well, it's only f-" Ruby began to speak before the words registered, "Wait, whoa, whoa!" She began to back away from the imposing man. "C-can't we just talk about this like civilized adults?"  
"Er... Sorry Ruby..." Lega told her, "this community takes the killing of life, and livestock very seriously."  
Ruby put a hand to her head and began to rub the temple, "It was one. Spider. One! Does that really entail the death penalty."  
"Here?" Lega pulled out her own sword, and pointed it at Ruby, "it most certainly does, scamp."  
"Lega, come on. You can't be- EEP!"  
Ruby side stepped from the slash of Lega's sword that was sweeping downwards like a sideways pendulum. Ruby withdrew her sword as well and spread her legs in a combative stance with her sword hilt by her cheek as the blade pointed at her former friend.  
Ruby dived and thrust the blade toward Lega with vigor. It was deflected with a CLING of the clashing blades, and was followed up with a twirling slash of the back side of Lega's blade. With a another loud clang noise, the sword bounced off each other from another impact.  
The blades continued to smash, and clash into each others, neither side really letting up. There were parries, dodges, and counters until the two blades finally locked into each other. Lega loomed over Ruby as her height gave her a powerful advantage over the dwarf.  
"You really don't want to do this," Ruby warned her as she struggled to maintain her ground. "I don't want to have to kill you!"  
"I don't either," Lega admitted to her,"but for the village I have to."  
"It! Was! A! SPID-" Ruby was interrupted by a slash of the blade swinging right towards her rib cage. She tried to jump back, but lega's blade torn into the leather armor like it was sheep's wool. She felt a sharp pain just under the collar bone of her torso as she landed on her side from the force of the slash. She winced in pain as she slammed into the cobblestone road, and her sword spun and slip on the ground away from her.  
Lega raised her sword for the blow, and lunged at Ruby as she was getting up on her hands and knees. Ruby rolled to the left of her opponent, as the sword just barely clipped her hair. It jammed itself into a crevas between a pair of cobblestone bricks. Lega struggled to pull the sword back out of the stone, swearing with every tug.  
Ruby felt around the area where the sword slashed at her. Not only did it hurt, but it was wet. She took the hand and looked upon it. Her blood ran down the hand as if it was bleeding itself.  
"Okay then," Ruby proclaimed in a stern tone as she raised her hand with an open palm to the pulling Lega, "You're about to find out why I'm known as the best blacksmith here!"  
Not all worlds created by the God of Blood are made equal, or the same, never mind creatures. Most worlds are focused on traditional combat like swords, bows, and axes. However, some worlds he calls "Masterworks" throw something new into the mix. Some creatures in these worlds have been infused with elements of the world such as earth, water, air, life itself and especially...  
A cone of fire flew out of Ruby's hand like confetti in the wind towards Lega. Very, very harmful confetti. Lega fell backwards, screaming in pain as the flames embraced her well exposed face and leather armaments.  
The crowd then started to disperse in a panic. People among the crowd started shouting, "Run! It's a Flamemancer! Death has come for us all!"  
As Ruby made it up on to her feet again, she noticed a few people still stuck behind. It was the captain of the guard, and some of his armored lackeys that stood in front of her.  
"Well, well, well," The captain said "Looks like we got someone resisting their sentence."  
Ruby breathed in heavily, as she held her wound hunched over, "You're all insane! I was defending myself!"  
"You break our laws, you pay our sentence," he told her. "Which has now been raised to a slow and painful one."

Ruby huffed, and shot a fire ball at the captain's face. He and his men ducked as Ruby ran across the river's bridge. This was the first time she ever fled the law instead of being protected by it.  
"After her!" The captain began to yell at his men, as they raced across the bridge.  
Ruby whipped around to her pursuers and shot out another cone of flames to the grass surrounding the her side of the bridge. The guards clamored to a halt on the bridge as the flames engulf the ground around it and the river as a wall. Ruby then continued running down the street and ducking in an alley way.  
She could hear the guards yelling at one another, and the captain barking orders to jump into the water as she ran down the way.

***

After hours of running through the town to evade the guard, Ruby finally made it to her shop. It was made out of cabin log wood, and was the only one around with a sign. It read "The Flaming Forge."  
She step through the door then promptly bolted and locked it tight. She sighed. Looking towards the room she saw the workbenches, anvils, and stove she toiled over nights for her customers. She gazed upon her bookshelf library to the left of these, with the stories of myths and legends of days gone by. She was at home, but she couldn't stay.  
The guards looking for her, would be asking where to find a round figured, red flame headed dwarf girl. Then no doubt death by hammer. For that reason, this could no longer be her home.  
She dashed off to the book shelf and fondled one of the scrolls. It flowed in the wind of ruby's run as she made her way to the work bench, and slammed it on to the table. It was a map of the land, Na Mhedwedqelmerw in the golden age of one hundred and twenty-five. She scanned across it, trying to see where she could hide from the Shade of Pocketing. If they were too close to the SoP then it would be likely that they would be searching for her there too, so the Deep Group was out and so were the Harmonious Confederations. That doesn't even include the alliances, so no Council of Amusing for her.  
The furthest north in the country of the Shadow of Fortunes, near the world's ice caps, was her safest bet as far as she could tell. They don't know her there, there's no other countries for miles in the area, and The cold was bit of a turn off, but there was no room for compromises.  
"Okay then," she whispered to herself in a tone of sorrow, "Shadow of Fortunes it is."  
She took off her, now ruined, leather armor, and quickly looked at the wound in her chest. It wasn't much better than earlier, only now starting to form a small scab over the cut. "And, that's going to leave a scar," she muttered as she rummaged through her workbench drawers. In there she found a roll of bandages, and began to cover the wound with it, wrapping diagonally cross the torso area.  
After the bandages were secured, she went over to an oak wood cabinet and open its doors. In there was armor that she stored from over the years of which she would sell to adventurers that would come into the store. There were grieves, plates, and gauntlets of metals of all sorts like iron and copper. But, in the back was her finest work, a steel breastplate, a helmet and a pair of grieves of true dwarven craftsdwarfship of a high degree. She pulled them out of the piles of the others.  
"Well, I didn't think I'd be the one wearing you guys," She muttered again to herself, knowing that this would be the only way for her to calm herself down.

She dawned the armor on herself, making sure that every thing was on securely. It fit like a well protective glove. The road is dangerous, and even with her fire and blade, it's still wise to be careful.  
After taking the time of packing some meat, water, and of course, booze, she looked at her books that were in her knapsack. She currently had the vampire book from earlier, "Waning Night", in there. Though time was of the essence, one needs more than one tale to keep the mind off of being on the run from the authorities on such a long trip.  
She took another quick look of her library, and browsed the large selection books of she had at her disposal. She had been collecting them over the years, ranging in from tales of high adventure to the very iner workings of dwarven enginneering to the dwarf strange mood phenomenon. She finally rested her wandering finger on a large hardcover entitled, "The Fortresses of Secession: Legends in the Stone". It was a book that told the stories of only the most famous of dwarven civilizations that fell in the most spectacular of ways, and some of the most larger than life characters that were printed on the page. Some of her favorites were of boatmurdered, and headshoots, for their colorful cast of overseers.  
She slid the book in to her knapsack, among a few chapter book that caught her fancy, and closed it. She slid it on her back, carrying it the same way she'll carry her guilt. On her way out she blew out the candle, and shut the door behind her. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she said goodbye to her old life, and began a new one on the road to the Shadow of Fortunes.


	3. Chapter 3: The Nightmares Begin

Ruby never imagined leaving the town like this. What she had in her head was the butcher to the soap maker waving her on her journey as she left on an adventure to... to... Well, the fact she would be on an adventure was good enough. However, she was instead forced out of the city like a host aggressively asking her to leave over something that escalated pointlessly.

It was a freezing cold night as Ruby trudged through the forest. A great push of wind ran through her body with a chill every couple of steps she took. She wrapped her cloak around her body to negate the cold, but cracks in the armor and cloth would smuggle through pockets of air to her skin. This was not the most ideal time to be a fugitive.

It is also not a good sign when snow starts to fall from the sky. The white crystal clusters hurried through the wind as they tried to meet their destination with the ground. It was no more fascinating to Ruby as the bustling streets of market square, a place where the flow of carridges, and horses seemed to work together in some weird form of harmony. However, it was twice as terrifying.

Winter was coming. The deadly cold, the hounding wolves, and relenting snow made for a recipe of near certain death. It is a season of bleak reminders of the mortality of the races of the land.

As she march further into the forest her stomach began to ache with the calling for food. "Again?" She pondered aloud.

She reached into her bag, and pulled out a pound of yak meat and took a bite out of it. She chewed and munched on the cooked food to attempt to her tame her stomach. She took a few more bites were into it, but her stomach was no less pleased than when she began to feed. In fact if anything, it was getting stronger, more aggressive. This feeling she could only describe as hunger, or perhaps as a sickness disguising itself as hunger was knawing at her. Not entirely out of the question based on her experience with very ill prepared cheese one late evening.

"Urgg... That did nothing," Ruby moaned as she held her stomach, "I hope I'm not coming down with something."

She took a sip from her water sack to wash down her meal. She swished it around in her mouth. It was fine, she guessed, but something about it was... off. In fact, her whole selection of food and drink was off. The taste was there, but dulled for some reason, bland.

"Of all the times to get sick," Ruby mumbled to herself, bitterly staring at her water sack.

Ruby put her hand to her head. It seemed to be the tell tale signs of a fever, warm and sweaty. With a headache as well, this was just perfect for her to get out her in the wilderness. Maybe it would be besst to lay down for a minute, it might do something for this headache.

The feeling was getting stronger. Both the "hunger's", and the headache's pain was becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Ruby held her head to no avail as her vision began to darken and blur as the things in her line of sight began to wobble. She felt herself falling sideways into the snow, then pure blackness.

When her vision came back, she found herself on the ground not to far away from where she passed out. As she began to get up she notice that her hunger was gone. No, no... not just that, something's off. She felt around the snow, grass and dirt, and yet it was as if there was nothing their, though her eyes could see her hand touching them.

She shoved her upper body off the ground with a jolt of fear, and looked around. The area looked the same, but somehow bleaker. Everything was in a washed out color of it's former tone.

"What the hell?" She mouthed at the world around her.

"Hello dear." A voice greeted her.

Ruby spun around to meet the look of a smiling lady in a long blue dress with details similar to vines curling around the edges. Her smile revealed fangs, and Ruby jumped back in fear. It was Ite, in her queenly masquerade without a hint of battle damage on her.

"Wait... wait. No no no no," Ruby muttered to herself, "y-you're dead! I watched you die at the keep by you're own men!"

"Well, you're not wrong," She told her. "You chopped off my leg, and my guard executed me. Rather gruesomely I might add."

"Then how are you here?"

The Queen smirked and made her way to the terrified dwarf, "because whether or not the gods are merciful enough for a life after our dangerous world, we live on in things like memories, and tales that are passed down for generations."

"I don't understand..."

"You will in time." She told the dwarf. "Just let it be known I've passed something on to you. Good bye."

Ruby clenched her fist in frustration, "That doesn't answer anyth- AAAAHHH!"

The vampire queen burst into the pieces she was in when Ruby left her, spread across the floor. As if they were freshly cut, the wounds leaked out her blood before rotting into a withered corpse.

Suddenly a sense came to her. Her mouth oozed with a taste unfamiliar with her. It was that of something salty, and metallic. She could actually feel it drip down her mouth down to her neck. She wiped a bit of it off of her chin, and was shaken to fine what it was. Blood.

A loud abrasive roar echoed across the sky. Ruby covered her ears from the boom, and looked to the sky. That might of been the worse thing for her to do. For what she saw was that of nightmares.

It was a figure of a Creature, or at least she thought it was, that covered the sky in its vast presence. The Creature loomed over her, the trees, hills, the mountains, and even the clouds as it roared out across the land. The longer Ruby stared at it, the harder the details were to make out. Did it have several arms, or are those legs? Does is have twenty eyes, or just one? Did she just see a tentacle, or its beard? It was as if with each second, every blink of her eyes, Ruby would see the figure of The Creature change from one creepy figure to another.

The Creature looked down at Ruby, and she froze in fear. She now knew what an insect about to be terrorized by a child felt like. Small, insignificant, and a feeling of a crushing weight the inevitablity brings. The figure appeared to be descending down on her, and entrap her. She began to run away from the mass of undefinable traits when the surrounding area began to darken in a black mist, and red eyes popped up in front of her, staring.

Ruby screamed as the thing enclosed around her. The thought of whatever that thing crushing her was too much for her to bear.

When she opened her eyes she was staring at the parting clouds to reveal a white moon illuminating the sky. The Creature was gone, the darkness surrounding her was no more, and all of the color had returned to her.

Getting her bearings straight she noticed she was not far from where she passed out. Did she dreamt all of that from her illness? Well, she couldn't have. She remembered waking up after her odd pain, which she no longer felt. Wait, no longer felt?

Ruby felt her head, and her stomach. Her stomach was as if she had a full meal from a recent dining, and her head seemed normal. After a few more moments of feeling over her body, she felt something... wet. It was something fresh, and warm. Looking at her hand it was what she feared. Blood.

At her feet she saw a small brown rabbit laying on the ground. Ruby knelt down to her knees and inspected it. It was mostly unharmed, except for two puncture wounds on it's small stubby neck.

"No," Ruby whimpered not wanting to admit it. It couldn't have been her, she wasn't bitten by that manipulative guard killer. Right?

Ruby proceeded to open her mouth, and take off one of her gauntlets, so she could make sure her teeth were that off the mighty dwarves, or that of a back stabbing vampire. She felt around her teeth with her index finger, and thumb as how she would hold a pebble. There was the flatness of the dull incisor of the front, and her ridged molars at the back. Finally she made her way and wrapped her fingers around her canine. Pushing up the thumb, she felt the poke of the fang like tooth. It seemed thin like a pin, and-

"Ow..." Ruby reflectively pulled down her hand. Looking down at the now bleeding thumb, and her blooded finger from the stained tooth. The female dwarf began to weep "Oh, Mishar Foggydawned. Why have I been forsaken?"

Mishar Foggydawned is the dwarven deity of fate, mostly revered in the regions of The Shade of Pocketing. As the myth goes, Mishar is the distributor of all fate to the masses, be it good or bad. His followers believed it was to maintain some kind of greater good. Ruby, however, does not see how being turned into a vampire, which in the mythic age were to punish heritics, was for the greater good. She was an upstanding citizen. Selling her talents to those that needed protection on the dangerous roads, giving alternative forms of payment to those without coin, looked after the odd young one... Hell, She paid taxes! The only thing she could think of that was deserving of a punishment was the events leading up to here. Namely that damn spider, and her now deceased short term friend.

Laughter started to surround her. She looked up with her dampened face and looked around. The laughter quelled as she did.

"Who's there?" Ruby called out.

Among the trees obscuring her vision like a crowded street, the only sound that was heard was that of rustling branches in the wind. It was not unheard of for adventurers to be ambushed on the roads and in the wilderness between towns. Be it goblins, bandits, or those bloody Elves, many an adventurer would meet their untimely demise by this method. The thought dawned on Ruby, as no doubt that there was a chance she was followed by someone of the previous town.

She drew her sword again and shouted at the wilderness, with her tears still rolling down her face. "If you have come to end me, at least have the GAUL to face me! Show yourselves, cowards!"

The laughter returned, this time louder and seemingly closer. Listening in as she held her sword she recognized it as a distinct type. If she could describe it, it would be that of a bosaw ripping through a tree. No... this was cackling laughter, and as those laughing revealed themselves, she remembered why the races feared the night so.

Red eyes slowly moved towards her as the moonlight shined down on the creatures. They were that of short humanoid abominations to the walks of life that the races feared the most. It was as if the the worst part of disturbing bodily combinations were combined and mix matched to give their victims one hell of a thing to remember. The group included: one with wings on a warty and deceased body of pus, another was eyeless and skinless, exposing its bones and muscles that include a trunk that hung from its face like those murderous elephants, and one that had an external rib cage ripping from its waxy skin with tall antennae on its head. All of them cackling like crazed killers.

These were the bogeymen, creatures of the night that pray on lonely travelers. Lonely travelers, like our vampire dwarf.

Ruby just stood their as the horrors of the night zoned in on her, only stepping back in small intervuls in her shock. Bogeymen to her was a tale parents tell their kids to keep them from wandering out on their own at night. Now, that mere tale has now been proven to be fact.

She snapped out of her realization as one of them lunged at her, just dodging its long bone claws from its rotten flesh. She quickly took that moment to slash at the abomination. It hissed as her blade slid across its shoulder, and thew it off balance. The other creatures continue to march forward.

Ruby then ran into the forest as the claw boned bogeyman tried to find its footing. She was out numbered, and near to no chance of survival. Her best bet was to run until she either lasted the night, or got into a house.

From behind her she heard one of them, probably their leader, howl and screech into the darkness. "Get that worthless dwarf!" She could have sworn it hacked up.

The bogeymen followed her swiftly, their cackling not letting up. As Ruby whirled past dozens of trees, she saw the bogeymen keeping up to her. If not right next to her, just barely behind her. It was almost as if every time she looked over somewhere their was a bogeyman chasing her.

As Ruby past an oak, one appeared right in front of her. She tried to stop and get into a battle stance, but instead ended up running straight at the thing at that was flying in the air towards her. They collided and were forced to the ground. Ruby's sword flew out of her hand three feet behind her freaky flier.

"HA!HA! Got you friend killer!" It cackled while lying back flat onto the ground like Ruby.

Ruby coughed and began to roll over, "urg, you things really can talk?"

The bogeyman jumped on Ruby's torso as it began to answer, "Of course we can? What? Did a pick axe fall on you at birth?"

"Leave me alone!" Ruby screamed at her attacker as she grabbed whatever skin she could attach her hand to, and conjured her flamemancer magic.

The creature screamed and screeched in pain as it tried to get away from her grip. Clawing and biting in vain to make her let go, its wings started to catch fire, and then spread to the rest of its body. Ruby through the screaming mess at a tree, which it then proceeded to burst into ash.

 _Wait where'd it go?_ She thought as she stared for a moment at where that winged monster landed. All that was left was a gray dust that was eroding from the wind near the tree's roots. What were these things?

As she picked herself off the ground, the other bogeymen had made their way to her. Each throwing their own insult at her as they cackled during their approach.

"What were you expecting, hero?" One seemed to yell, but Ruby could here it as if she was thinking it.

"Heh heh Yeah!" Another bellowed. "Glory?"

More joined in,"Oh please, you're just a weak shopkeeper having your head in the clouds."

"Couldn't even face a spider!"

"We know, that you know you're dead."

That last one started to turn into chant they said as they approached the dwarf. Those words cut harder than any sword would. And as far as Ruby knew, they were right. But, she was damned, if she's just going to give into the night like this. That is not the way of a dwarf, nevermind an adventurer.

"Oh yeah," Ruby yelled back at them as fire flew from her fingertips again, and her fangs began to be shown in a snarl like look on her face. "Let's just find out shall we?"

Ruby, finally just sick of this night, no this whole damn day, unleashed gizers of fire from her hands. The bogeymen moved out the way as the ground surrounding, and beneath them was set a blaze. The flames made a quick and easy path towards Ruby's sword, for now.

Ruby dashed across to her sword in between the rising flames, and grabbed her grounded sword. Clutching it firmly in her hands, she turned to the monsters behind the walls of flame. Most where trapped behind the flames, looking for a way to get around them. Others, however, did the classical headstrong move jumping through the fire and the flames.

It clung and wrapped around whatever skin they had as they broke through. The closest one that jumped through with three spiral horns was soon slashed in half at the might of Ruby's sword as if the beast was a plump helmet being chopped in the air. His parts flew back behind her in an arc before thudding to the ground, and puffed into ash.

Its friends had a slightly better idea. The landed a feet in front of her before lashing their arms about at her in a chaotic frenzy of claws, flames, and the odd elbow. In their act of recklessness, Ruby had a hard time predicting where the blows would land. One managed to set a bit of her beloved scarf a blaze. Ruby promptly kicked that no good fiend back through the flame wall as she patted out the flame in a panick.

The fiend's partner was the now vessel of which Ruby vented her frustration at with a clean decapitation. She looked down at her scarf which now was slightly darkened at its blue flamed tails, and then at the chaos around her. The fire was spreading faster and faster throughout the forest. Maybe fighting around fire in a highly flammable area wasn't the best idea, especially when wearing things that might make such a strategy backfire.

Ruby left to where the walls ended, the bogeymen following to meet her there. With in her anger she immediately ran in and stabbed the first one she saw in the chest. A few squeals, and whines from it, and then it was vaporized.

As she whipped around to face the other horrors, a small one with its external ribs and a damned trunk jumped and latched on to the back of her head. It screeched, and wrapped that damn trunk around her neck as it tried to hold on, and strangle her. Ruby clawed at the trunk monkey on her head, and swung her sword about as she tried to desperately get it off. Her breaths grew shorter, and shorter as the trunk constricted and constricted.

In an act of fear, and anger, she swung her head and bashed the sod into the trunk of a tree. The trunk of the monster loosened, and was soon cut off. With a few huffs to catch her breath, she flung the now trunk-less creature at the others. As it hit the group, and became dust, ruby rushed at the crowded monstrosities.

"Why? Don't? You? Just? All leave?!" She screamed enunciating each word as she cut them down beast by beast.

One after another each one jumped, snarled, or did whatever animalistic thing towards her. Each time being chopped, or stabbed in the blender that was Ruby's fury of strikes. With every deceased abomination, the dust began to rise and cloud the area. Soon, Ruby was slashing at the dust wildly and the bogeymen just seemed to a appear at the end of her blade.

Eventually, the cackling ceased, and the dust clouds cleared. From the clearing kicked up ash, Ruby could make out hint of cracks of light from the trees. Dawn was awakening, and the morning would soon be upon the land.

Ruby took in a few deep breaths as she closed her eyes. She had just spent the whole night in one big nightmare. A nightmare of revelations of the self, terrors of the dark, and fear for ones own life. Eventful, may just be an understatement for finding out for some gods known reason you're now a vampire, and realizing that what seemed to be a children story is now solid fact. However, she must push onward, she's come this far, and there was no sense in giving up now. She'll have to get used to being a night creature that sucks the blood from the living.

She opened her eyes again, and began to walk forward. Hopefully, her little adventure last night might have gotten her closer to a town on her way. At the moment, she needed a good wash in a river.


End file.
